Back flow preventers and check valves are used in commercial and household installations, for example, bidets, Roman tubs, barber shop and hairdressing salon fixtures, laboratory sinks, food processing facilities, chemical manufacturing, metal plating facilities and all types of plumbing applications where the potable water outlet when installed is below the flood level rim of the fixture, just to name a few, to prevent the contamination of the potable water supply. The water in each case is used in different manners and the installation of back flow preventers and check valves would be required for each use to protect the water supply from contamination or a separate back flow preventer and check valve would be installed in the line in advance of the components in the system. For example, in residential installations of a bidet, the water is diverted to the rim or the spray. In a soaking or whirlpool bath tub the water is diverted to the spout, shower head or removable hand-held shower. A number of proposals have been made for the diversion of fluids. Various methods and devices have been used to protect the potable water system from contamination. The premises may be isolated to protect the purveyor's water distribution system by installing a back flow preventer at the water line into the building. An area may be isolated when a portion of the building has toxic material used there. That portion of the building should be isolated by installing a back flow preventer so as to protect the individual consumer using the water within the building. Finally one may individually isolate each fixture or piece of equipment from the water system such as is the case in Applicant's own structure described in Canadian Patent 1,225,006 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,438 which provides atmospheric back flow prevention, in a compact, easily manufactured, effective unit. The present invention describes improvements thereto by adding a plurality of checking devices and improves the structure and repair of the diverting valve.
It is well known that any deck mounted faucet with removeable spout or where the water spout outlet is installed below the flood level rim of the fixture that installation is required by law to have a vacuum breaker with check valves. These codes are set out by the ASME, CAN/CSA, IAPMO and CABO/ANSI (ADA) codes. Any installation for which there is risk of contamination to the potable water system. Such installations must meet all codes by providing vacuum breakers and check valves. In doing so, however, there is a considerable amount of cost resulting from installation of individual vacuum breakers with separate checks and the necessary piping to and from all the components along with the labour costs and the continual maintenance costs of such individual components. It would therefore be advantageous to provide all of these features within a cartridge system heretofore unknown. It would be desirable to have deck mounted valves with an integral cartridge accessible from the top for repair without requiring dismantling the deck mounted installation. It would also be advantageous to repair such a cartridge which may malfunction by merely removing such cartridge from the top of the deck simply by removing the diverter valve handle.
It is therefore an object of this invention, to provide a diverter valve with, integral atmospheric type vacuum breaker and inlet and outlet check valves in an integral structure which is entirely reliable and easily serviced from the top.
It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a deck-mounted tub installation wherein the spout is an integral part of the overflow and is below the flood level rim of the fixture including a diverter valve which meets all of the code requirements set out above.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a multiple deck mounted tub installation system including a diverter valve with integral atmospheric-type vacuum breaker and inlet and outlet check valves which conform with all codes and is economical and practical to acquire and maintain.
Further and other objects of the invention will be realized by those skilled in the art from the following summary of the invention and detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof.